Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Venezuela’s President Gives Brewery Ultimatum: Brew Or Go To Jail

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There’s an interesting development going on in Venezuela. Empresas Polar, the country’s largest brewer — with an 80% market share — completely shut down their operations in April, apparently because of “supply problems of its main raw materials.” The president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, according to the drinks business, “has now threatened to take over the closed breweries, saying that the business owners risk being ‘put in handcuffs.'”

The country has been hit by a dire economic downturn over the last several years, and the president has not exactly been helping. John Oliver has covered the situation there hilariously at least twice, first in early May 2015 and then again last Sunday. In that report he mentioned that Marcos was threatening to jail owners of closed factories and have the government seize the buildings and take them over. And apparently one of those businesses he’s targeting is Polar. Here’s the rest of the story from the drinks beverage:

He said he was also ordering action “to recover the production apparatus, which is being paralyzed by the bourgeoisie”.

Meanwhile, Polar said it could no longer access the US currency needed to import the malted barley for beer production, and had to close the last of its breweries. Access to foreign exchange is currently under the control of the country’s government.

The beer shortage has had a big impact, as Venezuelans really like their beer. The tropical country has the highest per capita consumption rates of any nation in South America, and ongoing economic woes have to some extent been softened so far by the affordable luxury of a cold beer.

It’s the latest chapter in a long-running set of shortages and supply problems for beer and other food in Venezuela.

Polar’s billionaire owner, Lorenzo Mendoza, has been a vocal opponent of the President, with Maduro accusing him of waging an “economic war” on his government. Over the past year, Polar has been embroiled in a strike by brewery workers, conflict with the trade unions, and has seen its distribution centre occupied by the military.

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Apropos of the nothing, it was almost impossible to find an image of Polar Pilsen that didn’t include a model in a bikini. Go ahead, Google it and see how hard it really is.

ABI To Introduce Budweiser Prohibition Brew, Non-Alcoholic Bud

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Anheuser-Busch InBev is introducing a new non-alcoholic beer, at least in Canada (for now), called Budweiser Prohibition Brew. According to AdAge:

Budweiser is introducing a buzz-free version in Canada. The new non-alcoholic beer is called Budweiser Prohibition Brew. It could enter other countries, including the U.S. “Budweiser Prohibition Brew is only available in Canada for now, but we’re excited by the prospect that it could eventually be offered in the U.S., the birthplace of Budweiser, sometime in the future,” said Ricardo Marques, VP for Bud in the U.S.

The beer “leverages the latest de-alcoholization technology to create a beer that has 0.0% alcohol by volume and yet delivers the great taste of Budweiser,” according to Budweiser Canada. It is “an ideal choice for a work lunch or casual afternoon with friends, as well as designated drivers and people with active lifestyles,” said Kyle Norrington, vice president, marketing for Labatt, which is the Canadian division of Anheuser-Busch InBev. In the U.S., A-B InBev currently markets the non-alcoholic O’Doul’s brand.

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It certainly seems like ABI is beginning to take some radical marketing steps recently. First, there was renaming Budweiser as “America” and now using the Budweiser brand for a non-alcoholic beer, both of which seem like steps the old management would never have taken, because of concerns of harming the core brand perception. But ABI, of course, has no loyalty to the brand, or indeed anything, as long as profit can be squeezed out of it. Their approach seems more like a scorched earth way of thinking.

And we still haven’t seen what they’re planning to do, if anything, with all of the area codes that they tried to trademark. And you know there’s an end game with all of the acquisitions of smaller breweries they’ve been buying up. If history is any judge, the last time there were over 4,000 breweries, consolidation was rampant in the next few decades, and by 1900 — just 25 years after the high point — there were only a little more than 1,800. And by the time Prohibition took effect, there were less than 700, which represents only 17% of the 4,131 in 1873. So there is some precedent to watch out for, consolidation is nothing new. Some is inevitable due to market forces, the fact that not every brewery can compete in their local market for a variety of reasons (quality of their beer, business acumen, etc.), but sometimes its predatory as a way to squash competition. The next decade will certainly be enlightening as everything plays out.

Here’s the reaction from the Canadian press, or at least the Globe and Mail and the Financial Post.

Patent No. 5906151A: Apparatus And Method For Brewing An Alcoholic Beverage

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Today in 1999, US Patent 5906151 A was issued, an invention of Adam Firestone, Jeffers Richardson, Donald E. Othman, and Michel A. Blom, assigned to Firestone Walker, LLC, for their “Apparatus And Method For Brewing An Alcoholic Beverage and Beverage Brewed by Same.” Here’s the Abstract:

An apparatus for brewing an alcoholic beverage includes a plurality of wooden barrels including at least one first wooden barrel, at least one second wooden barrel, and at least one third wooden barrel; an enclosed trough; a plurality of first conduits providing flow communication between each of the plurality of wooden barrels and the enclosed trough; an enclosed catch pot in flow communication with the enclosed trough; a plurality of second conduits providing flow communication between the enclosed catch pot and each of the plurality of wooden barrels; and devices, such as valves, for controlling flow between each of the plurality of wooden barrels and the second conduit. The at least one first wooden barrel is a new barrel that has been filled with an alcoholic beverage up to 5 times, the at least one second wooden barrel is a middle aged barrel that has been filled with an alcoholic beverage from 6 to 12 times, and the at least one third wooden barrel is an old barrel that has been filled with an alcoholic beverage from 13 to 30 times.

This is essentially a patent for Firestone Walker’s modified Burton Union System that they pioneered when they first started, and then scaled-up when they bought the old SLO Brewery in Paso Robles and increased the size of their beer production. Jeffers, of course, is still there is the Barrelmeister, or Director of the Firestone Walker Barrelworks. That system is one of only two such brewing systems left in the world, the other being at Marston’s in Burton-on-Trent in England.
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Here’s a few photos of the system at the Paso Robles brewery in 2012.

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Patent No. 2420708A: Beer Meter

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Today in 1947, US Patent 2420708 A was issued, an invention of Clifford S. Hutsell, for his “Beer Meter.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:

To carry out the principles of my invention, the liquid is passed through a cooling coil which is immersed in some suitable cooling medium, the length of such cell can be varied so that the beer or other liquid can be passed through one loop or many loops of the coil; in this way the beer is brought under constriction in which its velocity is dissipated by frictional losses without the liquid itself being agitated. The liquid is then led through a discharge opening from which it may be drawn into a glass or other receptacle. This whole dispensing action is controlled, except for the adjustment of the length of coil used, by a single operating lever. My device will control the delivery of beer so that its included gas will be properly handled. The volume of the liquid is accurately measured. Each portion dispensed is accurately counted. The control and serving of beer on draught has always presented a difficult problem due to the beers susceptibility to the influence of three ever-present, variable factors; pressure, balance. Beer in its making is charged with carbon dioxide, the retention of such charge is essential to maintain its quality. When the beer is quiescent, at a sufficiently low temperature, the carbon dioxide is inert. This temperature is below the desirable serving temperatures and as the temperature is raised for serving there is a area sufficiently small to form a restriction to the temperature and agitation or tendency to discharge the carbon dioxide from the beer. To offset this tendency to dissipate its included gas and also to raise the beer to the discharge faucet, gas or air pressure is applied to the beer in the keg. The amount of pressure necessary to hold the carbon dioxide charge in the beer is in direct proportion to the tempera considerable degree, destroys the essential quality of the beer and in addition frequently causes excessive foaming at the faucet and a consequent wastage of beer.

A certain degree of refrigeration together with some form of constriction between the beer keg and the discharge tap would effect adequate control of the beer if the composition and condition of the beer were constant. However, no constant amount of restriction of the line is equally effective at all times because the beer may vary in its gaseous content, in its temperature, or it may have been recently agitated.

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Patent No. 2348797A: Crown Cap Selecting Machine

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Today in 1944, US Patent 2348797 A was issued, an invention of Louis A. Fischer, assigned to the Schaefer Brewing Co., for his “Crown Cap Selecting Machine.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to crown cap selecting machines, and has for its object to provide means for inspecting the interior of such machines while the same are running, and also provide means for preventing the caps from clogging during the operation of the machine.

In the use of such cap selecting machines, it frequently happens that inspection of the interior of the same becomes necessary and also that certain caps which have become clogged be removed. Also certain foreign matters must be dislodged.

This requires a shutting down of the machine and a re-starting, this requiring several hours of non-use of the machine.

The invention consists of a door closed opening which permits the caps to be ejected from the machine, capable of being opened and closed during the operation of the machine, and the invention also consists in the means for preventing clogging of caps.

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Patent No. 257977A: Beer Chip

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Today in 1882, US Patent 257977 A was issued, an invention of Bernard Rice, for his “Beer Chip.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My said invention relates to the chips or shavings employed by brewers for clarifying the beer in vats or thus previous to kegging it. These chips consist of beechwood, by preference, and have heretofore been used in the form of thick shavings, or of sawed lath-like chips, straight and flat, or of a mixture of the two. Grave objections lie to either form, which it is the design of my invention to obviate. The shavings invariably break in numerous places on the convex side, form ing interstices into which the particles of yeast and impurities settle, rendering it impossible to properly cleanse the shavings in the usual revolving washers. The sawed chips, while not open to this objection, are deficient in superficies, are liable to pack and stick together, and on the whole are inferior to the shavings. The desideratum is a shaving or chip having a large superficies, curved so as not to pack nor adhere to other chips, tough enough to withstand the agitation in the washer without breaking, and one which will not mildew when kept in stock. Such a chip I have succeeded in preparing, and that at a cost less than that of the chips as heretofore made. In practice I cut a sheet of veneer from a revolving login the usual way, choosing by preference the inner portion of the log, which is free from knots, and comparatively free from resin, and thoroughly dry the sheet. Either before or after drying I cut it into chips about eighteen inches long by one and a quarter inch wide, and pass them between heated calender rolls. This process has the effect to compact the fiber and prevent the chips from becoming soggy and sinking in the vats, to toughen them and prevent them from breaking in the cask or washer, and it gives them a. permanent curvature, so that they never straighten out. It also increases the density of the wood, rendering it of substantially the same specific gravity as the beer, whereby the chips do not tend to float exclusively at the surface, but remain suspended in the beer. The calendering, furthermore, dries out the sap and resin.

In order to insure a proper bending of the chips, an extra roller or bender may be attached to the calendering machine; but that is not essential. The rolls may also have embossed figures or lines, so as to indent the chips and increase their superficies.

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Jackson Family Wines To Build Sonoma County Brewery

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You know the brewing industry must be doing something right if one of America’s largest producers of wine has decided to jump in with a new brewery. Brewbound has the scoop, with Jackson Family Wines Proprietor Launching Sonoma County Craft Brewery.

It’s certainly not the first time. Does anybody else remember Sonoma Mountain Brewing? And more recently, Carneros Brewing built a brewery on the grounds of their Ceja Vineyards. And don’t forget that Korbel Winery once launched their own small brewery, hiring a young brewer to make the beer. After a short time, they decided to get out of the beer business, and brewer Vinnie Cilurzo obtained the name and moved Russian River Brewing to downtown Santa Rosa, and with his wife Natalie Cilurzo, built it into a destination brewery that’s undoubtedly helped put Sonoma County on the map for beer, as well as wine. So some have worked great, others not so much.

This one at least seems off to a big start. It’s not officially a project of the Jackson Family Wines, but Christopher Jackson, who is the son of winery founder Jess Jackson. Of course, most start-ups don’t have the resources to start by “constructing a 25,000-barrel craft brewery” with “an initial brewing capacity of 8,000 barrels.” Most start-ups don’t have $8 million as their initial capital, even though Jackson states that “[i]t is a passion play” and I “am the sole proprietor and it is my project going forth, but we are employing a lot of similar philosophies from my wine background.”

The new brewery will apparently be called Seismic Brewing Company, which name Jackson bought from San Diego’s Rough Draft Brewing. The new brewery will be located at 2870 Duke Court, Santa Rosa and plans to open in late summer.

It sure seems like Sonoma County is indeed becoming a “craft beer Mecca,” as Jackson called Santa Rosa. I think that’s truer of the whole county, but certainly between Santa Rosa and Petaluma the county’s doing pretty well. Sonoma County currently has 31 licensed breweries, at least according to the latest number from the CCBA, which means we’re nowhere near the 100+ that are now open in San Diego County. Still, I think Sonoma probably has more than most counties.

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Budweiser Tries To Rebrand Itself As “America”

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The original Anheuser-Busch considered itself a quintessentially American company, and it many ways it was. Run by the same family for generations from their mansions in St. Louis, Missouri, in the heartland of America, it was easy for the German-American Busch family to position Budweiser as the ultimate American beer. And they rarely shied away from making such associations. From early on, the Budweiser label was red, white and blue and they used that to their advantage on numerous occasions. During my lifetime, countless times their advertising played on that patriotism, using patriotic iconography in their POS and marketing.

But I imagine this latest campaign may be going a little too far for many people. They filed, and received, label approval on April 11, 2016 from the TTB with application OMB No. 1513-0020 for a new label. That new label will try to rebrand the new Anheuser-Busch InBev, no longer an American company with international roots in Brazil and Belgium, as “America.” No, seriously, they’re actually going to call Budweiser “America,” at least for the summer. According to AdAge:

A-B InBev on Tuesday, May 10, confirmed the limited-edition label change, saying “America” would replace “Budweiser” on the front of 12-oz. cans and bottles. The packaging will run from May 23 through election season in November, the brewer stated. The agency that handled the design change is Jones Knowles Ritchie, New York. The packaging will be accompanied by a summer-long campaign called “America is in Your Hands.” A national TV spot featuring the cans and bottles will premiere on June 1.

And it’s not just that title, the new label is riddled with patriotic associations. It’s an amazing piece of propaganda, and not in any way subtle.

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This is the image that accompanied the TTB label application.

Will this work? Can the international conglomerate poised to swallow up SABMiller — who’s already the world’s largest beer company — be able to convince Americans that they’re still your blue collar friend? That they’re still America’s beer? It feels like a tough sell, but if I’ve learned anything in my five decades consuming advertising it’s that people are incredibly gullible. Many people don’t care who owns Budweiser. Many people don’t care, or perhaps even know, that Budweiser is owned by a ginormous international conglomerate. They’ve been Bud drinkers as long as they can remember, and they have too many other things they care more about than thinking about what beer they’re drinking. I think because we live in such a beer bubble that we sometimes forget that most people don’t care about the industry as deeply as we do.

It seems like ABI has become far more aggressive lately in how they’re trying to position their brand. Part of that seems like desperation at their shrinking market, but being the world’s 25th most valuable brand, worth an estimated $22.3 billion alone (never mind the rest of the company), still makes them the 800-pound gorilla. And that sort of size would make anyone aggressive, with no one else remotely close to their size. I’m certainly curious to see this play out. Will there be a backlash? My guess is no. They’ll be some fiery condemnations on the interwebs, perhaps a few stories on television, and then it will die down. Bud drinkers will just continue drinking their beer of choice. And I’m willing to bet at least a few won’t even notice the change. It will certainly appeal to a certain jingoist bent that many Americans are prone to, the people who believe America is always number one in everything, and anybody who says differently is a commie; the same people who used to say “America, love it or leave it.”

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ABI released a statement today entitled “Budweiser Emblazons America On Cans And Bottles To Kick Off Its Most Patriotic Summer Ever” with the details on their new ad campaign.

America’s No. 1 full-flavored lager is taking its longstanding tradition of patriotic packaging even further this summer by replacing “Budweiser” with “America” on the front of its 12-oz. cans and bottles. The brand is also modifying Budweiser’s iconic label to add copy that is central to American history, including phrases from the Pledge of Allegiance and lyrics from “The Star Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful.” On shelves nationwide from May 23 through the election in November, these cans and bottles aim to inspire drinkers to celebrate America and Budweiser’s shared values of freedom and authenticity.

Designed in partnership with Jones Knowles Ritchie New York, Budweiser’s bold new look serves as the focal point for its summer-long campaign—“America is in Your Hands”—which reminds people from sea to shining sea to embrace the optimism upon which the country was first built. The “America” cans and bottles will star in the brand’s new national TV spot, premiering June 1.

“We are embarking on what should be the most patriotic summer that this generation has ever seen, with Copa America Centenario being held on U.S. soil for the first time, Team USA competing at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Ricardo Marques, vice president, Budweiser. “Budweiser has always strived to embody America in a bottle, and we’re honored to salute this great nation where our beer has been passionately brewed for the past 140 years.”

The “America is in Your Hands” campaign will come to life this summer during culturally relevant moments where Budweiser will be present, including Fourth of July celebrations, the Copa America Centenario soccer tournament, the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and events to celebrate the brand’s six Team Budweiser athletes competing to appear in the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The campaign will include billboards, murals, digital content, and retail activations along with additional surprises to be revealed throughout the summer.

Budweiser is also unveiling new cans and bottles featuring a magnified view of the Statue of Liberty’s torch, inspired by Team Budweiser, the brand’s six Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls. On shelves from May 23 through mid-September, the “Torch” packaging will be available in 16-oz. and 25-oz. cans, along with 16-oz. aluminum bottles.

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Is this the new face of American beer? I suspect not, but only time will tell how many Americans will fall for it.

World Beer Cup Awards 2016

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The 2016 World Beer Cup Awards were announced this evening in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was the 11th time for the biennial international competition, with a record 6,596 entries from 1,907 breweries in 55 countries, judged by 253 judges (including yours truly). This year, 287 awards were given in 96 separate categories to breweries in 16 countries. Congratulations to all the winners.

This is the second time that the competition used a lottery system. Any brewery that wants to enter their beer first registers their desire to participate in the World Beer Cup over a set period of time. Once the number of interested breweries is known, then the number of different beers each one can enter is determined. This year, every brewery could enter up to four beers. As a result, the winners were far more diverse than in any previous year. Of all 287 award winners, six breweries won three awards and 22 breweries won two, with 225 winning only one.

Not surprisingly, the category with the highest number of entries was American-Style IPA, with 275. Second was Imperial India Pale Ale, with 181 entries, and the third most-entered category was American-Style Pale Ale, with 167. The average number of entries for each category was 69 beers.

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Overall, the United States won the most medals, with 230. Germany was second, with 17, and Japan came in third, with 9. Canada won eight and the United Kingdom won seven. Belgium picked up 3 awards, while Austria and Australia each brought home two.

Within the U.S., California won the most medals, with 49. Colorado was second with 37 and Oregon was third, with 19. Pennsylvania won 11, Virginia brought home 9 and New Mexico won 7. Ohio nabbed six, Massachusetts picked up 4 and Utah 3, while Connecticut, Maine, Nebraska and New Jersey each won two.

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Category: 1 American-Style Wheat Beer – 28 Entries
Gold: Whammy Bar Wheat, Amplified Ale Works, San Diego, CA
Silver: Whacked Out Wheat, Telluride Brewing Co., Telluride, CO
Bronze: Flash Bang, Excel Brewing Co., Breese, IL
Category: 2 American-Style Wheat Beer with Yeast – 39 Entries
Gold: Fuzztail, Sunriver Brewing, Sunriver, OR
Silver: Haybag Hefeweizen, Philipsburg Brewing Co., Philipsburg, MT
Bronze: Lost Meridian Wit, Base Camp Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Category: 3 Fruit Beer – 77 Entries
Gold: Shady Spot, Susquehanna Brewing Co., Pittston, PA
Silver: Razz Against the Machine, Little Machine, Denver, CO
Bronze: That Guava Beer, Legacy Brewing Co., Oceanside, CA
Category: 4 Fruit Wheat Beer – 46 Entries
Gold: First Peach Ale, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Silver: Mr. Pineapple, SanTan Brewing Co., Chandler, AZ
Bronze: Raspberry Wheat Beer, Meantime Brewing Co., London, United Kingdom
Category: 5 Belgian-Style Fruit Beer – 58 Entries
Gold: Rosetta, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Silver: Coal Kriek, Gravity Brewing, Louisville, CO
Bronze: Sunken City, Insight Brewing Co., Minneapolis, MN
Category: 6 Pumpkin Beer – 25 Entries
Gold: Pump Action Imperial Pumpkin Ale, 4 Noses Brewing Co., Broomfield, CO
Silver: Tributary Jacques, Tributary Brewing Co., Kittery, ME
Bronze: Pumpkin Down, Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits – Scripps Ranch, San Diego, CA
Category: 7 Field Beer – 57 Entries
Gold: Ponce, Quest Brewing Co., Greenville, SC
Silver: Coconut Delight, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, Goochland, VA
Bronze: Cranberry Beet Wild Night, Swamp Head Brewery, Gainesville, FL
Category: 8 Chili Beer – 58 Entries
Gold: Yellow Fever, Comrade Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: Hellcat, Fort George Brewery + Public House, Astoria, OR
Bronze: Thunder Axe, Brew Hub, Lakeland, FL
Category: 9 Herb and Spice Beer – 129 Entries
Gold: Sakura Mankai Lager, Chateau Kamiya Ushiku Brewery, Ushiku, Japan
Silver: Squatters Bumper Crop Honey Ale, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat, Tallgrass Brewing Co., Manhattan, KS
Category: 10 Chocolate Beer – 80 Entries
Gold: Pasteur Street Cyclo Stout, Pasteur Street Brewing Co., Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Silver: Airporter Chocolate Porter, Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, CA
Bronze: Kerplunk! Imperial Chocolate Stout, Spring House Brewing Co., Lancaster, PA
Category: 11 Coffee Beer – 154 Entries
Gold: Mocha Machine, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Silver: Overload Stout, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – West Chester, West Chester, PA
Bronze: Portola Breakfast Stout, Tustin Brewing Co., Tustin, CA
Category: 12 Specialty Beer – 60 Entries
Gold: Maple Bacon Coffee Porter, Funky Buddha Brewery, Oakland Park, FL
Silver: Maple Tripple Ale, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Warren, VT
Bronze: Nut Smasher, Willoughby Brewing Co., Willoughby, OH
Category: 13 Rye Beer – 54 Entries
Gold: Rye Dawn, Breakwater Brewing Co., Oceanside, CA
Silver: Grimlock, Loowit Brewing Co., Vancouver, WA
Bronze: Uncle Dave’s Rye IPA, Discretion Brewing, Soquel, CA
Category: 14 Honey Beer – 55 Entries
Gold: Honey Chamomile Wheat, Nexus Brewery, Albuquerque, NM
Silver: Cross-Pollination, Magic Rock Brewing, Huddersfield, United Kingdom
Bronze: Long Sun Brewing Honey Beer, Long Sun Brewing, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Category: 15 Session Beer – 34 Entries
Gold: Otra Vez, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Mills River, NC
Silver: La Fete, 7venth Sun Brewery, Dunedin, FL
Bronze: Golden Dragon, Ise Kadoya Brewery, Ise, Japan
Category: 16 Session India Pale Ale – 111 Entries
Gold: Little Secret, Triptych Brewing, Savoy, IL
Silver: Down to Earth, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Leandro, CA
Bronze: Eternal, Northern Monk Brew Co., Leeds, United Kingdom
Category: 17 Other Strong Beer – 47 Entries
Gold: Brilliant, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Silver: Laissez-Faire, Monday Night Brewing, Atlanta, GA
Bronze: Winter Woman, Revolution Brewing Brewpub, Chicago, IL
Category: 18 Experimental Beer – 86 Entries
Gold: Arima Japan Ale, Konishi Brewing Co., Itami, Japan
Silver: Cerise Mousseux Nouveau, Manitou Brewing Co., Manitou Springs, CO
Bronze: Iwate Kura Beer Oyster Stout, Iwate Kura Beer, Ichinoseki, Japan
Category: 19 Fresh or Wet Hop Ale – 10 Entries
Silver: High Ground IPA, Manitou Brewing Co., Manitou Springs, CO
Bronze: Double Conundrum Imperial Red Fresh Hop, Aspen Brewing Co., Aspen, CO
Category: 20 Historical Beer – 27 Entries
Gold: Archetype Historical IPA, Circle Brewing Co., Austin, TX
Silver: Great Odin’s Beard Oat Ale, Third Street Aleworks, Santa Rosa, CA
Bronze: Dortmunder Adambier, Blue Pants Brewery, Madison, AL
Category: 21 Gluten-Free Beer – 40 Entries
Gold: Glutenberg India Pale Ale, Brasseurs Sans Gluten, Montreal, Canada
Silver: Glutenberg Lapsang d’Automne, Brasseurs Sans Gluten, Montreal, Canada
Bronze: A Dark Night, Departed Soles Brewing Co., Jersey City, NJ
Category: 22 American-Belgo-Style Ale – 61 Entries
Gold: Snowcat White IPA, Rock Bottom – Chicago, Chicago, IL
Silver: Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Bronze: Salad Days, Pale Fire Brewing Co., Harrisonburg, VA
Category: 23 American-Style Sour Ale – 84 Entries
Gold: Confliction, Sloop Brewing, Elizaville, NY
Silver: Ensorcelled, The Rare Barrel, Berkeley, CA
Bronze: DAM Wild – Hops and Lemon Verbena, Flat Tail Brewing Co., Corvallis, OR
Category: 24 Brett Beer – 70 Entries
Gold: Blushing Star, Liquid Riot Bottling Co., Portland, ME
Silver: Sauvage, NOLA Brewing, New Orleans, LA
Bronze: La Bonte Pear, Wicked Weed Brewing, Asheville, NC
Category: 25 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer – 66 Entries
Gold: Bourbon Barrel Aged Koffi Porter, La Quinta Brewing Co., Palm Desert, CA
Silver: Rye Robustito, Drake’s Brewing Co., San Leandro, CA
Bronze: Wild Warehouse, Wander Brewing, Bellingham, WA
Category: 26 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – 151 Entries
Gold: Bourbon Barrel Aged Jinx Remover, Fall Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Omega Point, Olde Hickory Brewery Co., Hickory, NC
Bronze: Samuel Adams Utopias, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
Category: 27 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout – 152 Entries
Gold: A Night to End All Dawns, Kane Brewing, Ocean, NJ
Silver: Darkstar November, Bottle Logic Brewing, Anaheim, CA
Bronze: Ruse, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Richmond, VA
Category: 28 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 115 Entries
Gold: Love Among the Ruins, Thornbridge, Bakewell, United Kingdom
Silver: Days of Creation, Thornbridge, Bakewell, United Kingdom
Bronze: Bramble On Rose, Toolbox Brewing Co., Vista, CA
Category: 29 Aged Beer – 40 Entries
Gold: Nine-Tailed Fox, Nasu Kohgen Beer Co., Nasumachi, Japan
Silver: Solzhenitsyn, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Media, Media, PA
Bronze: 2012 Dr. Strangelove Barleywine, Strange Craft Beer Co., Denver, CO
Category: 30 Kellerbier or Zwickelbier – 69 Entries
Gold: Baumgartner Junghopfenpils, Brauerei Jos. Baumgartner, Schaerding, Austria
Silver: Ulmer Hexensud, Familienbrauerei Bauhoefer, Renchen, Germany
Bronze: Pilsner, Marble Brewery, Albuquerque, NM
Category: 31 Smoke Beer – 79 Entries
Gold: Ashes from the Grave, Monkey Paw Brewing, San Diego, CA
Silver: Breakside Smoked Porter, Breakside Brewery – Pub Brewery, Portland, OR
Bronze: Raucher, Wolverine State Brewing Co., Ann Arbor, MI
Category: 32 Light Lager – 45 Entries
Gold: Miller Lite, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Asahi The Dream, Asahi Breweries, Tokyo, Japan
Bronze: Landshark, Margaritaville Brewing Co., Wildwood, MO
Category: 33 International-Style Lager – 103 Entries
Gold: BEER, La Cumbre Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Silver: Amend This!, TAPS Fish House & Brewery – Brea, Brea, CA
Bronze: Wonderstuff, Bauhaus Brew Labs, Minneapolis, MN
Category: 34 Baltic-Style Porter – 44 Entries
Gold: Apogee Baltic Porter, Morgan Territory Brewing, Tracy, CA
Silver: Cobaltic Porter, Bottle Logic Brewing, Anaheim, CA
Bronze: Black Aria Baltic Porter, Mountain Sun Breweries, Denver, CO
Category: 35 German-Style Pilsener – 108 Entries
Gold: Trumer Pils, Trumer Brauerei, Berkeley, CA
Silver: Pilsner, Dry Dock Brewing Co. – South Dock, Aurora, CO
Bronze: Saalfelder Premium, Buergerliches Brauhaus Saalfeld, Saalfeld, Germany
Category: 36 Bohemian-Style Pilsener – 65 Entries
Gold: Duchovni, Medusa Brewing Co., Hudson, MA
Silver: High Plains Pils, Canteen Brewhouse, Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Pilsner, River Rat Brewery, Columbia, SC
Category: 37 Muenchner-Style Helles – 76 Entries
Gold: Loewenbraeu Original, Loewenbraeu, Muenchen, Germany
Silver: Aktien Hell, ABK Betriebsgesellschaft der Aktienbrauerei Kaufbeuren, Kaufbeuren, Germany
Bronze: Beach Blonde, Crystal Lake Brewing Co., Crystal Lake, IL
Category: 38 Dortmunder/Export or German-Style Oktoberfest – 52 Entries
Gold: Festbier, Muellerbraeu, Pfaffenhofen, Germany
Silver: Tauras Tradicinis, Kalnapilio-Tauro Grupe, Panevezys, Lithuania
Bronze: Eder’s Export, Eder & Heylands Brauerei, Grossostheim, Germany
Category: 39 Vienna-Style Lager – 57 Entries
Gold: Dock Time, Stony Creek Brewery, Branford, CT
Silver: Firebrick, August Schell Brewing Co., New Ulm, MN
Bronze: Puesta del Sol, WeldWerks Brewing Co., Greeley, CO
Category: 40 German-Style Maerzen – 34 Entries
Gold: Hissy Fit Marzen Lager, Bitter Sisters Brewing Co., Addison, TX
Silver: Rhinofest, Lost Rhino Brewing Co., Ashburn, VA
Bronze: Ur-Saalfelder, Buergerliches Brauhaus Saalfeld, Saalfeld, Germany
Category: 41 European-Style Dark/Muenchner Dunkel – 56 Entries
Gold: I Dunkled in My Pants, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. – Arroyo Grande, Santa Barbara, CA
Silver: Mother in Lager, Karbach Brewing Co., Houston, TX
Bronze: Yee-Haw Dunkel, Yee-Haw Brewing, Johnson City, TN
Category: 42 German-Style Schwarzbier – 51 Entries
Gold: Schwartz Bier, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Outpost, Lexington, VA
Silver: Magnetron Schwarzbier, Metropolitan Brewing, Chicago, IL
Bronze: TAPS Schwarzbier, TAPS Fish House & Brewery – Brea, Brea, CA
Category: 43 German-Style Bock or Maibock – 75 Entries
Gold: Maibock, Stoudts Brewing Co., Adamstown, PA
Silver: Pivo Bublina, Ploughshare Brewing Co., Lincoln, NE
Bronze: Engel Bock Dunkel, Biermanufaktur ENGEL, Crailsheim, Germany
Category: 44 German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock – 53 Entries
Gold: Lucubrator, Occidental Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Silver: Warning Sign, Rockyard Brewing Co., Castle Rock, CO
Bronze: ATOR 20, Brauerei S. Riegele, Augsburg, Germany
Category: 45 American-Style Lager – 82 Entries
Gold: Rainier Lager, Pabst Brewing Co., Los Angeles, CA
Silver: High Life, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Rocket 100, The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co., Austin, TX
Category: 46 American-Style Amber Lager – 59 Entries
Gold: Steam Engine Lager, Steamworks Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Ringside Red, Boxing Cat Brewery, Shanghai, China
Bronze: Holsteiner, Argus Brewery, Chicago, IL
Category: 47 American-Style Dark Lager – 29 Entries
Gold: Jump Seat Black Lager, Lancaster Brewing Co., Lancaster, PA
Silver: El Moreno, TAPS Fish House & Brewery – Brea, Brea, CA
Bronze: Saint Patrick’s Black, Saint Patrick’s Brewing Co., Littleton, CO
Category: 48 Australian- or International-Style Pale Ale – 84 Entries
Gold: Triumvirate, Reuben’s Brews, Seattle, WA
Silver: Breakside Lunch Break ISA, Breakside Brewery, Milwaukie, OR
Bronze: Bosque IPA, Bosque Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Category: 49 German-Style Koelsch – 75 Entries
Gold: Claritas, Mike Hess Brewing Co. – North Park, San Diego, CA
Silver: Feder Monde, All Rise Brewing Co., Chicago, IL
Bronze: Straub Kolsch, Straub Brewery, St. Marys, PA
Category: 50 German-Style Altbier – 56 Entries
Gold: 90 Shilling, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Little Red Cap, Grimm Brothers Brewhouse, Loveland, CO
Bronze: Breakside Will’s Alt, Breakside Brewery – Pub Brewery, Portland, OR
Category: 51 German-Style Sour Ale – 78 Entries
Gold: Volkssekt, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Silver: Gosebusters, Noble Ale Works, Anaheim, CA
Bronze: Original Ritterguts Gose, Ritterguts Gose, Borna, Germany
Category: 52 South German-Style Hefeweizen – 100 Entries
Gold: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, Freising, Germany
Silver: Premier OB Weizen, Oriental Brewery Co., Icheon-si, South Korea
Bronze: Baumgartner Weisse Hell, Brauerei Jos. Baumgartner, Schaerding, Austria
Category: 53 German-Style Wheat Ale – 62 Entries
Gold: Franziskaner Weissbier Royal, Spaten-Franziskaner-Braeu, Muenchen, Germany
Silver: Weihenstephaner Kristallweissbier, Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, Freising, Germany
Bronze: Plank Original Hefeweizen, Brauerei Michael Plank, Laaber, Germany
Category: 54 South German-Style Weizenbock – 33 Entries
Gold: Ladenburger Weizenbock Hell, Brauerei Ladenburger, Neuler, Germany
Silver: Plank Heller Weizenbock, Brauerei Michael Plank, Laaber, Germany
Bronze: Plank Dunkler Weizenbock, Brauerei Michael Plank, Laaber, Germany
Category: 55 Belgian-Style Witbier – 78 Entries
Gold: Hoegaarden Wit, Hoegaarden Brewery, Inbev Belgium, Hoegaarden, Belgium
Silver: Gentleman’s Wit, Camden Town Brewery, London, United Kingdom
Bronze: Plum Island White, Newburyport Brewing Co., Newburyport, MA
Category: 56 French & Belgian-Style Saison – 116 Entries
Gold: Classic Saison, Blackberry Farm Brewery, Walland, TN
Silver: La Saison du Tracteur, Microbrasserie Le Trou Du Diable, Shawinigan, Canada
Bronze: Soleil Saison, 12Degree Brewing, Louisville, CO
Category: 57 Belgian- and French-Style Ale – 42 Entries
Gold: Barrel Aged Woodthrush, Little Fish Brewing Co., Athens, OH
Silver: Farnam House Biere de Garde, Farnam House Brewing Co., Omaha, NE
Bronze: Domaine DuPage, Two Brothers Brewing Co., Warrenville, IL
Category: 58 Belgian-Style Pale Ale or Blonde Ale – 60 Entries
Gold: La Trappe Trappist Blond, Bierbrouwerij de Koningshoeven, Berkel-Enschot, Netherlands
Silver: Raise the Roost, Portland Brewing, Portland, OR
Bronze: Golden Ghost, Lost Highway Brewing, Denver, CO
Category: 59 Belgian-Style Sour Ale – 46 Entries
Gold: Oude Geuze Boon Black Label, Brouwerij Boon, Lembeek, Belgium
Silver: Lindemans Oude Kriek Cuvee Rene, Lindemans Brewery, Vlezenbeek, Belgium
Bronze: Red Angel, Wicked Weed – Funkatorium, Asheville, NC
Category: 60 Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Bruin or Oud Red Ale – 36 Entries
Gold: Yearling, Eagle Rock Brewery, Los Angeles, CA
Silver: Oude Tart, Bruery Terreux, Placentia, CA
Bronze: 2014 Vintage Blue Sunday, New Holland Brewing Co., Holland, MI
Category: 61 Belgian-Style Dubbel or Quadrupel – 73 Entries
Gold: Sanitarium, Bier Brewery and Taproom, Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Hertog Jan Dubbel, Hertog Jan Brouwerij, Arcen, Netherlands
Bronze: Three Philosophers, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Category: 62 Belgian-Style Tripel – 76 Entries
Gold: Bedotter, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Lancaster, Lancaster, PA
Silver: 33 Acres of Euphoria, 33 Acres Brewing Co., Vancouver, Canada
Bronze: Gnomegang, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Category: 63 Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale – 48 Entries
Gold: Treachery, 12Degree Brewing, Louisville, CO
Silver: Sanctuary Golden Strong Ale, Gemini Beer Co., Westminster, CO
Bronze: Deceit, Funkwerks, Fort Collins, CO
Category: 64 Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale – 37 Entries
Gold: The Sixth Glass, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: Four Swords, Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Dallas, TX
Bronze: La Grivoise de Noel, Microbrasserie Le Trou Du Diable, Shawinigan, Canada
Category: 65 Other Belgian-Style Ale – 43 Entries
Gold: Supernatural, Crooked Run Brewing, Leesburg, VA
Silver: Chump Change, Oak Highlands Brewery, Dallas, TX
Bronze: Sugarfoot Belgian Table Beer, Spangalang Brewery, Denver, CO
Category: 66 English-Style Mild Ale – 38 Entries
Gold: Song In Your Heart, Discretion Brewing, Soquel, CA
Silver: Triple Crown Brown, The Mitten Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze: Brockwell, Heist Brewery, Charlotte, NC
Category: 67 English-Style Summer Ale – 30 Entries
Gold: James Squires The Swindler Summer Ale, West End Brewery, Thebarton, Australia
Silver: Pacific Ale, Stone & Wood Brewing Co., Byron Bay, Australia
Bronze: True Blonde Ale, SKA Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Category: 68 Ordinary or Special Bitter – 36 Entries
Gold: Amber, Dry Dock Brewing Co. – North Dock, Aurora, CO
Silver: Sawtooth Ale, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO
Bronze: Broken Dial, Harviestoun, Alva, United Kingdom
Category: 69 Classic English-Style Pale Ale – 33 Entries
Gold: Caldera Ashland Amber, Caldera Brewing Co., Ashland, OR
Silver: Puddlers Row ESB, Conshohocken Brewing Co., Conshohocken, PA
Bronze: Breakside ESB, Breakside Brewery – Pub Brewery, Portland, OR
Category: 70 Extra Special Bitter – 68 Entries
Gold: ESB, Bier Brewery and Taproom, Indianapolis, IN
Silver: End of Summer Beer, Mother Earth Brew Co., Vista, CA
Bronze: Old Jalopy Pale Ale, Powell Street Craft Brewery, Vancouver, Canada
Category: 71 English-Style India Pale Ale – 41 Entries
Gold: Independence Pass Ale, Aspen Brewing Co., Aspen, CO
Silver: Punjabi Pale Ale, CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing, Fort Collins, CO
Bronze: Big Wave Bay IPA, Hong Kong Beer Co., Chai Wan, Hong Kong
Category: 72 Scottish-Style Ale – 41 Entries
Gold: Kilt Lifter, Four Peaks Brewing Co. – Wilson Street, Tempe, AZ
Silver: Druthers 80 Shilling, Druthers Brewing Co., Albany, NY
Bronze: Maltopia Scotch Ale, Hermitage Brewing Co., San Jose, CA
Category: 73 English-Style Brown Ale – 50 Entries
Gold: Boar Brown, Pig Pounder Brewery, Greensboro, NC
Silver: Sweet George’s Brown, Dillon Dam Brewery, Dillon, CO
Bronze: Brewers Special Brown Ale, New English Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Category: 74 Brown Porter – 66 Entries
Gold: Capella Porter, Ecliptic Brewing, Portland, OR
Silver: Polygamy Nitro Porter, Utah Brewers Cooperative, Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Blue Nose Brown, Red Leg Brewing Co., Colorado Springs, CO
Category: 75 Robust Porter – 92 Entries
Gold: P.M. Porter, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – West Covina, West Covina, CA
Silver: Gaspar’s Porter, Florida Beer Co., Cape Canaveral, FL
Bronze: Stranger than Fiction Porter, Collective Arts Brewing, Hamilton, Canada
Category: 76 Sweet Stout or Cream Stout – 63 Entries
Gold: Chocolate Milk Stout, Boxing Bear Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Silver: Buried at Sea, Galway Bay Brewery, Galway, Ireland
Bronze: Udder Love, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Category: 77 Oatmeal Stout – 67 Entries
Gold: Scaredy Cat, Vintage Brewing Co., Madison, WI
Silver: Stumblers Stout, Columbia River Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Bronze: Sasquatch Shadow, Elk Horn Brewery, Eugene, OR
Category: 78 Scotch Ale – 70 Entries
Gold: Clan Warrior Scotch Ale, Odyssey Beerwerks, Arvada, CO
Silver: AleSmith Wee Heavy, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Glasgow Butcher, Crooked Ewe Brewery & Ale House, South Bend, IN
Category: 79 British-Style Imperial Stout – 53 Entries
Gold: Arch Devil Imperial Stout, DevilCraft, Shinagawa-ku, Japan
Silver: Russian Imperial Stout, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Media, Media, PA
Bronze: Corvo Negro, Novo Brazil Brewing Co., Chula Vista, CA
Category: 80 Old Ale or Strong Ale – 55 Entries
Gold: Ninja Pirate, Black Lotus Brewing Co., Clawson, MI
Silver: Heini’s Good Cheer, Roundabout Brewery, Pittsburgh, PA
Bronze: Irish Walker, Olde Hickory Brewery Co., Hickory, NC
Category: 81 Barley Wine-Style Ale – 71 Entries
Gold: 2013 10&2 Barleywine, Fifty West Brewing Co., Cincinnati, OH
Silver: Old Bounder, Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Stormwatcher’s Winterfest, Pelican Brewing Co. – Pacific City, Pacific City, OR
Category: 82 Irish-Style Red Ale – 66 Entries
Gold: Reilly’s Red, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Outpost, Lexington, VA
Silver: Piper Down, Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits, San Diego, CA
Bronze: Red Molly, Pale Fire Brewing Co., Harrisonburg, VA
Category: 83 Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout – 42 Entries
Gold: Minoh Beer STOUT, A·J·I Beer, Minoh, Japan
Silver: Irish Stout, Carver Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Bronze: O’Connor’s Dry Irish Stout, O’Connor Brewing Co., Norfolk, VA
Category: 84 Export Stout – 52 Entries
Gold: Fade to Black, Volume 1, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO
Silver: Spetsnaz, The Grumpy Troll Brewpub, Mount Horeb, WI
Bronze: Dirty Frank Stout, River’s Edge Brewing Co., Milford, MI
Category: 85 Golden or Blonde Ale – 82 Entries
Gold: Power & Light Pale, Independence Brewing, Austin, TX
Silver: Squatters Chasing Tail Golden Ale, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: German Blonde, Bemidji Brewing Co., Bemidji, MN
Category: 86 American-Style Pale Ale – 167 Entries
Gold: Pistol River Pale, Arch Rock Brewing Co., Gold Beach, OR
Silver: Pale Ale, North High Brewing, Columbus, OH
Bronze: Knotty Pine Pale Ale, Lumberyard Brewing Co., Flagstaff, AZ
Category: 87 American-Style Strong Pale Ale – 118 Entries
Gold: Lucky Day, Central Coast Brewing Co., San Luis Obispo, CA
Silver: IPA 2016, Yo-Ho Brewing Co., Saku, Japan
Bronze: Paladin, Wicks Brewing Co., Riverside, CA
Category: 88 American-Style India Pale Ale – 275 Entries
Gold: I Love It!, Noble Ale Works, Anaheim, CA
Silver: IPA, Great North Aleworks, Manchester, NH
Bronze: Santilli, Night Shift Brewing, Everett, MA
Category: 89 Imperial India Pale Ale – 181 Entries
Gold: Hop JuJu Imperial IPA, Fat Head’s Brewery – Middleburg Heights, Middleburg Heights, OH
Silver: Trebuchet, Second Street Brewery, Santa Fe, NM
Bronze: Nobility, Noble Ale Works, Anaheim, CA
Category: 90 American-Style Amber/Red Ale – 96 Entries
Gold: Epiphany Red Ale, Iron Springs Pub & Brewery, Fairfax, CA
Silver: Sabre-Toothed Squirrel, Smog City Brewing Co., Torrance, CA
Bronze: Beast of Bray Road, Second Salem Brewing Co., Whitewater, WI
Category: 91 Double Red Ale – 51 Entries
Gold: Summit Sunrise, Denver Beer Co. – Canworks, Denver, CO
Silver: Valentinus IPA, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Wilmington, Wilmington, DE
Bronze: Toaster Pastry, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Leandro, CA
Category: 92 Imperial Red Ale – 37 Entries
Gold: Blood Junkie, Three Weavers Brewing Co., Inglewood, CA
Silver: December Nights Imperial Red, Thorn Street Brewery, San Diego, CA
Bronze: Wreak Havoc, Bootstrap Brewing, Niwot, CO
Category: 93 American-Style Brown Ale – 81 Entries
Gold: Granola Brown Ale, Black Hog Brewing, Oxford, CT
Silver: Open Road Brown Ale, Troubled Monk Brewery, Red Deer, Canada
Bronze: Upslope Brown Ale, Upslope Brewing Co. – Flatiron Park, Boulder, CO
Category: 94 American-Style Black Ale – 67 Entries
Gold: Turmoil, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR
Silver: Carlton, Melvin Brewing – Jackson, Jackson, WY
Bronze: Midnight Moonlight, Fat Head’s Brewery – Middleburg Heights, Middleburg Heights, OH
Category: 95 American-Style Stout – 51 Entries
Gold: The Defender, Haymarket Pub & Brewery, Chicago, IL
Silver: Kilgore, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Bronze: P2P, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Boise, Boise, ID
Category: 96 American-Style Imperial Stout – 62 Entries
Gold: Blot Out the Sun, Three Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, IN
Silver: HoliDAVE, Artifex Brewing Co., San Clemente, CA
Bronze: Happy Ending, SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA

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Champion Brewery and Brewer Awards

Very Small Brewing Company Category
Arch Rock Brewing Co.
James Smith
Small Brewing Company Category
Noble Ale Works
Evan and The Giants
Mid-Size Brewing Company Category
Brewery Ommegang
Brewery Ommegang Brewing Team
Large Brewing Company Category
Miller Brewing Co.
Miller Brewing Co. Brewing Team
Small Brewpub Category
12Degree Brewing
Jon Howland and Tor O’Brien
Large Brewpub Category
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing
Julian Shrago, Ian McCall and Gene Wagoner

SAM_5342

Patent No. WO1996012669A1: Method And Apparatus For Enhancing A Beverage Head

By

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Today in 1996, US Patent WO 1996012669 A1 was issued, an invention of Alexander Richard Dunn and John Cooke, assigned to Scottish & Newcastle Plc, for their “Method and Apparatus For Enhancing a Beverage Head.” Here’s the Abstract:

A gas jetting apparatus is used to jet a fine jet of gas through an orifice at a nozzle (18) into a beverage, for example beer, to promote formation of a creamy head. This apparatus may be incorporated into a beverage dispenser, for example a beer tap which dispenses draught beer.

And includes the following description:

“Method and Apparatus for Enhancing a Beverage Head”

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for enhancing a beverage head, particularly, but not exclusively, a head on a draught beer dispensed from a tap.

Sparklers are sometimes used to agitate a flow of beer as it is dispensed from a beer tap; this can promote frothing of the beer and contribute to formation of a head on the dispensed beer. It is also known to provide a single use secondary chamber within a sealed, pressurised beer can from which gas and/or beverage is jetted into beer within the can when the can is opened.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of promoting formation of a beverage head, comprising jetting a fine jet of gas derived from a gas source through at least one orifice and into a dispensed beverage.

The method may form or assist in the formation of a head.

The beverage may be dispensed from a tap; it may be a draught beverage.

The gas may be jetted into the beverage once the beverage has been dispensed. Alternatively or additionally, the gas may be jetted into the beverage whilst the beverage is being dispensed, it may be jetted into a stream of beverage.